John Landis Will Direct Arnold Schwarzenegger in STAN LEE'S SUPERHERO KINDERGARTEN Animated Series
John Landis, the legendary director of films such as The Blue Brothers, Animal House, An American Werewolf in London, Spies Like Us, and more, is set to direct Arnold Schwarzenegger in Genius Brands' upcoming children's animated series, Stan Lee's Superhero Kindergarten.
Schwarzenegger will provide the voice of the lead role of the action-adventure comedy series that was co-created by Stan Lee as one of his final projects. He also serves as co-producer, along with China's Alibaba Group, Stan Lee's POW! Entertainment, and Schwarzenegger's Oak Productions. The co-creator of Deadpool, Fabian Nicieza developed the series, and it was written by Steven Banks (SpongeBob SquarePants).
Here’s the synopsis for the series:
Five years ago, a tremendous superhero battle blanketed the small town of Greenvale in cosmic radiation. Shortly thereafter, a previously ordinary diverse group of boys and girls, are showing the most unusual superpowers! Their superpowers, however, rather than coming from Kryptonite or a radioactive spider, come from items in their kindergarten classroom — white glue, wooden blocks, crayons, silly putty, etc.
A very special kindergarten teacher arrives in Greenvale to train these super-kids. Arnold Armstrong knows what it is like to control superpowers, because he used to be Captain Courage, the hero whose final battle helped create these superkids! Arnold will teach the kids how to become the heroes of tomorrow, once he teaches them how to tie their shoes.
Full of action, comedy and fun, the series is based on the genius and imagination of creative icon, Stan Lee, and mixes in the important lessons of health, exercise, nutrition and anti-bullying. Just as he made a cameo in all of the Marvel movies, Lee will appear in an animated cameo in each episode, with a digitized recreation of his voice.
Landis has also joined Genius Brands' development team to help create a live-action series and feature film spin-off of the series. The extent of John Landis's involvement with those projects is not clear. Genius Brands Chairman and CEO Andy Heyward said in a statement:
"When one has a property of this magnitude, we will quickly pursue development of a live-action feature spin-off as we work to maximize the value of the brand. Today's announcement reflects a core element of our strategy for Genius Brands and Kartoon Channel! -- recruiting the industry's top proven and emerging talent to ensure that we are steadily building a content offering that is second to none. We believe that this approach, in combination with our excellent distribution deals and licensing agreements, is a pathway for Genius Brands to drive strong revenue and create long-term shareholder value."
Landis said in the official press release:
"I am honored to work with Andy and Arnold for the first time in bringing Stan's vision to life with this action-packed series infused with comedy and heart.”
Schwarzenegger added:
“I am honored to help realize Stan’s vision of creating a children’s cartoon series that not only entertains with superhero adventures, but also imparts valuable lessons about the importance of health, exercise, nutrition, anti-bullying, and diversity. Andy Heyward is one of the industry’s most respected producers of children’s programming and working together we will be able to bring to life our shared vision of ‘content with a purpose,’ which parents can enjoy alongside their children while taking comfort in the moral and educational focus.”
Stan Lee's Superhero Kindergarten will premiere on Genius Brands' Kartoon Channel! in 2021. It will also be broadcast on Amazon Prime in the U.S., and Alibaba in China on its video streaming platform for kids, Youku. Concurrently, Genius Brands is actively marketing a full-scale global consumer products retail program anchored with toys, publishing, and apparel.